Tom Kay(Executive Director)

Tom was named the Executive Director in June of 2013. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Environmental Policy & Behavior from the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment and a Juris Doctor from Florida State University’s College of Law.

A licensed Florida attorney, Tom has worked as a staff attorney for a large not-for-profit health care organization and a public housing authority. For seven years, he worked as a litigator in civil, criminal, and real estate matters. He has volunteered on local and national political campaigns and interned in U.S. Senator Bill Nelson’s Tallahassee office during law school. Tom’s wife, Christine, is a vitreoretinal specialist at Vitreo Retinal Associates, P.A. Together they own a farm in McIntosh. He currently serves as the President of the Alliance of Florida Land Trusts, the umbrella organization for state's 22 land trusts.

CONTACT INFOEmail: act.landmanager@gmail.com

Ivor Kincaide(Land Stewardship director)

Ivor Kincaide, a lifelong birder and tree hugger, received his Bachelor's of Science degree in Zoology from the University of Florida. Most of his postgraduate life has been devoted to natural resource and wildlife management. Ivor is a State Certified Prescribed Burn Manager with a keen interest in freshwater marsh and pineland restoration and directs land acquisition and natural resource management activities for the organization.

CONTACT INFOEmail: act.graceh@gmail.com

Grace Howell(Land Management Specialist, Women in the Woods)

Grace is a North Florida native and lifelong nature lover. She graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation and worked in the City of Gainesville’s nature parks for 9 years, first as an environmental educator and then as a land manager and biologist. She is a native plant enthusiast, amateur botanist, fire ecology advocate, and Certified Prescribed Burn Manager. Grace works with land management staff, interns and volunteers to carry out restoration and natural resource management goals on ACT’s conservation properties. Having been inspired and encouraged by a number of passionate conservationists, she enjoys sharing land stewardship skills with young professionals through the Women in the Woods internship program.

CONTACT INFOEmail: act.lesa@gmail.com

Lesa Holder(Office Manager)

Lesa Holder is a life-long resident of Alachua County, and has worked as ACT's Office & Finance Manager since 2007. Her background in administration encompasses work in both the public and private sectors, including program development and delivery at an eco-tourist facility and organic/biodynamic demonstration farm, executive staff support posts in state and local government, and as Assistant Editor with the State of Florida's official administrative law reporter, for whom she still contracts as an associate editor.

CONTACT INFOEmail: act.melissah@gmail.com

Melissa Hill(community outreach Coordinator)

Melissa is a lifelong Florida resident and has been involved with ACT since 2014. She has her master’s in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Florida with a certificate in Environmental Education and Communication. From 2016-2018 she collaborated on a project at ACT focused on understanding the biophysical and social intersections needed for conservation easements on the coast to protect sea turtle nesting. She currently works to facilitate community engagement and events. On an off day she can be found catching a sunrise or out paddling.

CONTACT INFOEmail: act.jcaron@gmail.com

Justin Caron(Staff Attorney)

Justin Caron is a native of Biddeford, Maine and a long time resident of Merritt Island, Florida. He received his B.A. from the University of North Florida in 2014 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2017. While attending school in Gainesville, he spent his time working with counties and cities of varying sizes across Florida. Justin is working in partnership with the U.F. Law Conservation Clinic and ACT to draft and obtain coastal conservation easements on properties across the state to protect sea turtle nesting sites.

CONTACT INFOEmail: ktancig@alachuacounty.us

Kathryn Tancig(Conservation Land Negotiator)

Kathryn is a Gainesville native, and has a B.A. in Environmental Science and minor in Soil and Water Science from the University of Florida. After receiving her Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School, Kathryn returned to Florida and began litigating child support cases for the Florida Department of Revenue as an associate attorney at Wershow and Schneider, P.A. Kathryn also practiced law in the real estate and litigation departments at Dell Salter, P.A. Through ACT, Kathryn serves as lead negotiator for the Alachua County Parks and Conservation Lands department. In addition to her work at the County, Kathryn teaches a real estate practicum as an adjunct professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

CONTACT INFOEmail: act.barryc@gmail.com

Barry Coulliette(Private Lands Stewardship Specialist)

Barry comes to Alachua Conservation Trust from 36 years at the Florida Forest Service where he focused on instructing prescribed fire training, working with private landowners and most importantly, actually conducting burns at various state forests and private lands in the north Florida region. His focus throughout 2018 will be assisting private landowners and helping them get prepared to implement their prescribed burning goals.